Lesson 22 – Gratitude Luke 17:11-19 …Choose to be grateful     Principle 7: Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will.   “Happy are the merciful. Happy are the peacemakers.” Matthew 5:7a and 5:9     Step 11: Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.   “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly . . .” Colossians 3:16a (NIV)   This week’s acrostic is RELAPSE:   The first letter in relapse stands for Principle 7 itself:   Be thankful to GOD.   Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6 NIV)   It’s not just about asking; it’s about doing so “with thanksgiving.”  Gratitude shifts our focus from what is missing to what God has already done.   Replace anxiety with prayer and gratitude.   Be thankful for OTHERS “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body: and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…”  (Colossians 3:15–16a NKJV)   When Paul writes “let peace of God rule,” he’s calling us believers to allow God’s peace to govern our emotions, decisions, and relationships.    A heart ruled by peace naturally is thankful.   Be thankful for YOUR RECOVERY As for us, we have this large crowd of witnesses around us. So then, let us rid ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and the sin which holds on to us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. (Hebrews 12:1 GNB)   Recovery…is a process that requires perseverance and gratitude.  This verse reminds us that we are not alone: a “large crossed of witness” have gone before us and encourage us to keep going (Metal Round).  Gratitude helps us focus on how far we have come rather than how far we have yet to go.     Be thankful for YOUR CHURCH Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving. (Psalm 100:4a GNB) Remember maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” during the holidays is the best prevention against relapse.   Your church is more than a building…it is a spiritual home – for the homeless; it is a place of encouragement – for the discouraged; it is a place of accountability – for the irresponsible; it is a place of love – for the unloved.   Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6–7 NCV)   Church a “forever family” where you worship, learn, connect, and find peace through a grateful heart.     1.       (Luke 17:11-14) Ten Lepers healed.   1.       [11-14] Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.   a.    As He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers: It was a common sight to see lepers gathered together, since they were outcast from the rest of society.  Isolated and rejected, they found companionship only among others who shared their condition and experience.                   i.    Who stood afar off: By law and by custom the lepers could not come near the “clean” people, for the fear of infecting them.  They would have to shout unclean as they moved through crowed areas, “unclean…unclean!”                ii.    Isolation doesn’t mean invisibility – Even when others reject you, God sees you and cares for you. b.    And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”: These were a mixed group of Jews and Samaritans (natural enemies), but they came to Jesus for relief.  Their misery bonded them, and nationalities and prejudices vanished because they came together in prayed to the One that could heal them.                  i.    Shared pain or need can bring unlikely people together. c.     Go, show yourselves to the priests:  Here is their test of faith.  Jesus asks them to go to the priests while they are still lepers.  Putting on the new man even when they felt and looked like the old man. Ephesians 4:17-24 (NKJV), “With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”                      i.    Faith steps come from obedience to the Master, not just from hoping or wishing. d.    And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed: God blesses the faith of the lepers that stepped out in their faith, even though they may have felt like the old man.   2.       (Luke 17:15-19) Just one of the lepers returned to show gratitude.   [15-19] And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”   a.    And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God: All ten of the lepers followed Jesus’ instruction to do the Scriptural mandate, demonstrating their obedience.  But, only one returned to express deep heartfelt gratitude to Jesus.  It was the Samaritan, the social and religious outcast.                   i.    Doing what is commanded does not automatically mean that our hearts are grateful. b.    Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Jesus was amazed that only one of the ten lepers returned to give thanks.  This teaches us that God not only provides blessings, but also is attentive to our response – He notices whether we are grateful.                 i.    Gratefulness is a form of worship that please God.                ii.    We can always find reason for gratitude before God. Matthew Henry, the famous Bible commentator, was robbed of his wallet once. He wrote in his diary that night all the things he was thankful about: 1.          First, that he had never been robbed before. 2.          Second, that though they took his wallet, they did not take his life. 3.          Third, because even though they took it all, it wasn’t very much. 4.          Finally, because he was the one who was robbed and not the one who did the robbing. c.     Your faith has made you well: Jesus is speaking of the heart healing that the man received for is “attitude of gratitude.”  The point is that outward restoration is incomplete without an inward change.                  i.    Gratitude opens the door to spiritual growth.

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